The Bellwood Breed

The Bellwood Breed-13

The following night, the reality of what I had done hit me, and it hit me hard.

I killed a man, and I had enjoyed it.

Nothing the others told me was helping. I was only feeling worse, the remorse I couldn't handle. The way Sebastian had looked at me right after I squeezed the life out of his step-father in an inhuman manner would forever be etched in my mind.

I didn't want to be a bad person, I didn't want to enjoy ending someone's life like I had.

"Riley, you saved a boy from an abusive step-father who kept him locked up in an attic. That's what we're all about. We protect others from harm." Avery said convincingly.

"Yeah, but do you kill someone in the process?" My voice was small as I sat next to him. He was keeping me company at my house so I wouldn't have to wallow in misery alone.

His face softened. "You did what you had to in order to protect yourself and the lives of others." I wiped at a tear. "Look, Riley, there may be bad in you, but there's also good in you, and the good always outweighs the bad." He squeezed my kneecap. "I know you'll chose the light." He whispered.

My body shuttered as I let out a shaky breath. I nodded, wanting to believe him badly. The darkness though, it was just so tempting.

"Riley." I answered to my name, my eyes falling on his. He looked me in directly in the eyes. I could feel my breathing becoming heavier as I looked back at him. "I believe in you." He said quietly, his cool breath tickling my face as his was just inches from mine.

There was such a small distance of space between the two of us right now. All I had to do was move in the slightest way, and I could kiss him. And I wanted to, I really did, but I couldn't do something like that to Andrew.

Just when I was going to turn the other cheek, Lexi stepped in. "Well, well, well. Is it just me or is hot in here?" She smirked.

Avery sat back against the couch while I ran a hand through my hair, glaring a little. "Oh shutup Lexi."

"Poor Drew." She laughed as she came and took the remote. "You should be thanking me for giving him a fair warning."

"Avery and I are just friends." I breathed, unable to really look at him.

He cleared his throat. "What she said, Andrew has nothing to worry about."

"Mmm, right." She cut her eyes.

Avery stood to his feet. "Uh listen, I'm gonna go but, tonight, the guys are meeting up at the usual spot. Make sure your there." I nodded as he tossed me a small smile on his way out.

I turned and glared at my younger sister. "Could you be any more ridiculous?! Ugh I really can't stand you sometimes."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was almost sucking face with McHotty."

I rolled my eyes. "McHotty? Seriously? And besides, I'll have you know that I wasn't even gonna kiss him."

"Oh so your lips just happen to be inches apart for no reason at all. Hmm, makes so much sense." She said sarcastically.

"Alexis, seriously, quit saying things like that okay." I balled my fist, trying not to loose my temper on my own little sister.

"Geez calm down, I'm just having a little fun for crying out loud."

"Well it's not funny okay, quit opening your big mouth before you screw people's lives up!" I stomped out of the room and up to my own.

I felt bad about blowing up on her, but right now I had enough to think about, I didn't need her throwing anything else on my plate. The last thing I needed was boyfriend drama.

I stayed locked up in my room all day before leaving to meet up with the rest of the guys. Lexi had already gone out to the movies with some friends.

Everyone was already there by the time I got there, I was almost always last to show up.

Avery was standing with his back to the door looking out into the dark night. I took a deep breath as I walked in.

"There you are." Ryder said as he saw me. "We thought something happened to you."

All the others, with the exception of Avery, looked on. I scoffed. "Guys, come on, you can't be serious, I'm only like five minutes late."

"Yes but you are what Sebastian said. Whoever this Alec person is that was using them as a puppet, is out to get you. And he practically had you." Ryder's voice was low and serious.

"Guys, I'm fine okay."

Ryder shook his head. "We can't take any chances. From now on, one of us are going to be keeping a close eye on you at all times."

My mouth fell open. "Is that what this meeting was about? I very obviously don't need a baby sitter, I can handle my own." I said defensively.

"Riley, you got lucky that time, who knows what will happen next time? I no way are you prepared to take on-"
"Ryder, come on, give her a break." Avery sighed. "She says she can handle her own, I believe her. I think we should survey the area, but breathing down her neck, I don't ."

Ryder's muscles tensed. "Look, I know what's best for the group, and in the end, I have final say whether you guys like it or not. And I say that we are watching every move from all angles." His tone said it was end of discussion.

"Why do you even care so much?!" I groaned. I thought it was great that they cared at least a little, but Avery was right, he was being ridiculous.

"Yeah Ryder, why do you care so much?" Aspen folded her arms across her chest.

"Look, do not question me, I'm only trying to protect the group. If anything was to happened to Riley because of some twisted, absurd-" he paused, taking a deep breath to steady his rising temper. "She's the key to everything, and you all know that. Now this is the end of the discussion." Ryder stormed out of the room, the door ringing back to us all ominously.

Everyone stood still, not really sure what to do or say. Avery was the first to speak. "Look, don't mind him, he means well, sometimes he can just get a little...unnerved when he's worried." He said quietly.

I nodded. The others had began to leave, I caught Avery's arm. "I have a question."

His eyes were weary. "Sure, shoot."

"What exactly puts Ryder in charge, if anything it seems like it should be you."

Avery chuckled a little. "Believe me, I wouldn't want his position. It's stressful enough doing what we do on a regular basis. Ryder has to put up with a lot with his position, it's one of the reasons why he's just a little high strung."

"A little?" I scoffed.

Avery rolled his eyes with a small smile. "Alright, so maybe a little more than a little, but, he is the prince after all."

I cocked a brow, standing a little straighter. "Prince?" I repeated. I'd heard him say it once before, but I didn't think it was used in a literal sense.

Avery rubbed his hands together, sucking the air in between his teeth. "Yeah. Where we come from, there are no presidents and all of that other useless crap." He chuckled a little.

"Wait, I thought my father had been king?"

Avery frowned. "He was, but Riley, no one knows what happened to your father after the night you were born. No one even knew what had happened to you. With the two of you, the royal line disappeared. Ryder's family was next in line. But, now that you're back, well..." He trailed off as he informed me on this new piece of information. "Riley the throne is rightfully yours."

His words sunk in after a moment or two. "W-what? No, I can't be a queen, I-I don't want to even." Ryder's distaste toward me now made a little sense.

Avery rested a reassuring hand on the small of back. "Riley, calm down, no one's asking you to be, you don't have to worry about that okay." He gave me a small smile.

"This, this is all so, wow." I breathed. There were no words to explain what this was. I ran a hand through my hair, chewing my bottom lip. "Okay, well um, I'm gonna uh-"

"Wait, Riley, there's a question I have for you now." He caught me by my hand, dropping it shortly after.

I nodded. "Ok, I don't know if I'll be able to answer it but..."

He looked at me with those suffocating blue eyes of his again, causing a large lump to form in my throat. "About the other night, when I kissed you, did it...did it mean anything to you at all?"

My breath caught, my mouth opening and closing with no words coming out. "Um...Avery I-"

"Look, today on the couch, if your sister hadn't walked in, would you have kissed me."

"Avery-"

"Yes or no." He said quietly as he laced his fingers in mine.

I could hear my heart thumping loudly in my ears as my breath caught. The way he was looking at me made my knees practically week.

"Riley, I don't usually go after another guy's girl, but, I think I'm starting to really like you." He breathed as his face lingered even closer to mine.

I didn't know what I was feeling. On one hand I did feel like I was developing a slight crush on him, but what girl wouldn't? He was gorgeous. And then there was Ryder, for some reason I felt like I would be betraying him. How? I didn't know, he was with Aspen, and we had no feelings whatsoever for each other.

If this was true, why was I more worried about what he would think over my own boyfriend?

And then there was Andrew himself, we had been together for over two years and had been in love for half that. When he was here, he was all I could think about. But he was off in college now, we'd agreed to make long distance work, not in the beginning, but we were trying to now. The longer he was away, the more afraid I was that my feelings for him would slowly lessen.

We had been in a committed relationship with the exception of one break up when decided that it would be best if we just parted ways, but even that didn't work. We couldn't stay away from each other. He was the only constant I had in my life now, the only thing that was as I remembered it to be from the very start.

"Riley." Avery's soft voice snapped me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the reality at hand.

Before I could say anything more, his soft lips were on mine, lingering a couple seconds before they parted. He tested my reaction, seeing of I would run away from him, and when I didn't, he kissed me again, this time with more fuel to the fire. I wrapped my arms around his neck, losing all sense of right and wrong for a moment.

This kiss, it felt so right, so real. I didn't know what to make of it, except that it felt good, and I enjoyed it. And a little too much to be exact.

I suddenly came to my senses, breaking away from him. I gasped. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." I left without giving him a chance to respond.

What was I thinking, I couldn't go around kissing beautiful Whitelighters, especially not when I had an amazing guy like Drew, he didn't deserve that. The last thing I needed was to complicate things between myself and another within the group.

"Ugh Riley, you're such an idiot." I muttered to my self as I drove him, the tingling sensation of Avery's kiss still on my lips.